Skip Williams wrote:
>I'm now on the search for a light tripod for travel. It shouldn't cost a
>fortune, like a CF tripod, but be able to raise to eye level for a 6' guy like
>myself without extending the center post. I guess that means that I need 72"-
>6" for camera + head = 66" ground to the top of the platform.
>
Well, nobody else has designed one, why don't you do it. :-)
I don't know your definition of light weight, and you didn't say
anything direct about size, but did say for travel. I looked all over
for this 2-3 of years ago and couldn't find it, even with the "shouldn't
cost a fortune" criterion relaxed. I did come to some conclusions that
are valid for me and my definitions of lightweight, compact and stable..
Tripods and heads are one of the hardest things to choose without hands
on trial. I had come to all sorts of conclusions about what I should get
based on web and catalog research. WAY off when I tried them out.
There are simply no compact lightweight tripods that will bring the
camera to eye level for a 6 foot person without center column extension
with anything approaching the stability and vibration resistance needed
to make it worth while to carry them. I feel I would be better off with
a monopod.
There are no lightweight, compact tripods that are sturdy and vibration
resistant on their own. The only solution is a combination of vertical
support from the tripod and head with weight and damping from the
photographer's hands The trick is to find one that will 'set' nicely
with some downward pressure from hands on the camera without twisting,
flexing or doing other weird things.
The best compromise I've found on he light, small end is the Velbon 343E
(2#, 18" min length, incl. head), which includes a perfectly usable
small ball head for $70. I bought this about 3 years ago and I still
like and use it. It doesn't have the height you want at 53" without
column extension, but is amazingly stable and sturdy for its size and
weight. Column extension raised it up to 62.5". I try not to extend it
that far, but using the body/hands support/damping approach, it is
ceratinly usable extended. So I crouch or kneel sometimes and raise the
column a bit and bend over other times. The other big plus is the nicely
designed flip lock legs. You can have the tripod up, take the shot and
put it down again in the time it would take to extend a 4 section twist
lock tripod.
I know its CF, but not outrageously expensive, and the Hakuba 6240C with
Velbon PH-253 head is a great rather light and compact combo (3.9.#, 23"
min length, incl. head). It fits nicely in the bottom section of my
rolling duffle combo travel bag. Wonderfully light for what it does and
excellent support and vibration resistance. Comes with 2 lengths of
center column and has multiple leg angles to get down low. This is a
'real" tripod that happens to be light and small enough for travel and
the head blows away anything else I found in such a modest size/weight
and price. As far as I can tell, this is the same design as the Velbon
Carmagne, but with an aluminum spider, rather tham magnesium, and thus
quite a bit cheaper. Downsides are the slow to set up twist lock legs
and the limited height. Height with the head is 50", with center column,
60". The center column is sturdier and locks more securly than many
others. It also has a really nice adjustable resistance, which you can
set to the weight of your camera and lens, so when you release the lock,
it either stays put or moves down slowly and gently. The thumbscrews on
the PH-253 and its bigger brothers, 263 & 273 are the next best thing to
a QR head, but without the size and weight. Pics and a bit of
description here <http://www.hakubausa.com/Documents/ta.pdf>.
In another vein, the Ultrapod #2 can be amazingly useful where there is
a building, tree, pole, etc, etc. to lean on or strap to. The Ultra
Clamp adds railings, car windows, etc. to the available supports with
very little size, weight and cost
<http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=SearchBar&A=search&Q=*&shs=ultrapod&image.x=0&image.y=0>.
If things have changed and you find the tripod you describe, please let
me know!
Moose
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